Wardrobe-bedstead



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H. WADDELL. WARDROBB BBDSTBAD. No. 489,209. Patented Jan. 3, .1893.`

W s: Zz'ieJJes/ jyefz i527' f@ www i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY WADDELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WARD ROBE-BEDSTEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 489,209, dated January3, 1893.

Application filed September 25, 1891. Serial No. 406,793. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY WADDELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Beds, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in folding beds of the class inwhich the conch portion is pivotally mounted at its head in a frame andswings between the vertical horizontal planes.

My object is to provide improved spring counter-balance mechanism toresist lowering and assist the rise of the bed; which, in the openingand closing of the bed shall be comparatively noiseless in its action,and tend, as the bed is being opened, to prevent the stationary frameportion of the bed from toppling forward.

In the drawings-Figure l is a vertical section of my improved foldingbed folded, showing my improved counterbalance mechanism; Fig. 2, anenlarged section taken on line 2 of Fig. l and viewed in the directionof the arrow; Figs. 3 and 1-,details in elevation of the counter-balancemechanism; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the bed unfolded; Fig. o,an enlarged section taken on line 6 of Fig. 5 and viewed in thedirection of the arrow.

A is the stationary supporting frame and head-portion of the bed towhich the swinging bed-frame or couclrportion B is pivoted in bearingsat t.

The counterbalance mechanism C comprises a lever, 8, fulcrnmed near oneend upon the inner surface of the side of the frame A. The fulcrurn orpivotal support of the lever s comprises a plat-e, fr, having a centralopening, r', and a socket-plate, q, provided at the center of itsconcave face with a stud, q. At opposite ends the parts r and q areprovided with screwl1oles, on, which, when the parts are {ittedtogether, coincide, the stud q fitting into the opening r. In the levers is an opening, s', at which it lits loosely over the stud q', and theparts are held together and to the side of the frame A by screws passingrespectively through the coincident screw-holes n: of the parts q o". Alink, p, is pivotally connected at one end to the end of the short armof thelever s; and at its free end the link p is provided with a socket,p', which tits over a stud or pin, o, on the side of the swinging frameB. The short arm of the lever s extends forward of its fulcrum, at q,which is above the inner end-portion of the swinging frame B. The stud ois located a short distance back of the pivot t. A coiled spring, n, isfastened at one end to the frame A above the leversand at its lower endis connected to the long arm of said lever.

The relative positions ofthe parts of the counterbalance mechanism andpin o, when the bed is closed and opened, are shown respectivelyin Figs.l and 5. In swinging the bed y down from the vertical plane, as shown inFig. l, the link p is forced longitudinally upward and swings thelever supon its fulcrum against the resistance of the springn. The resistanceof the spring it thus has a counterbalancing effect upon the swingingcouch.

In practice two counter-balance mechanisms C are provided upon the bed,one at each side of the latter, and their effect is to resist thelowering and assist the rise of the bed and maintain it closed whenraised.

In order that the mechanism may be adj usted to exert greater or lessresistance, depending upon the weight of the swinging couch B, a seriesof holes, s2, are provided along the long arm of the lever s, at eitherof which the spring n may be secured. The link p is maintained inengagement at its socket with the pin o by the force of the Spring n. Bybearing bown upon the lever s the link p may be readily disconnectedfrom the pin o.

When it is desired to remove the mattress from the bed, in making up thelatter, by disconnecting the connterbalancing mechanism, as described,on one side of the bed, the danger of the beds closing when thebedclothes are removed will be obviated.

In the preferred construction of the support for the foot portion of theswinging couch, a leg or bar, m, is loosely mounted to slide in aninclined guide, l, on the inner side of the side rail. The guide Z whenthe couch is raised inclines downward and inward (orbackward from thefront of the bed). The guide is formed of a strip, Z', below the legwhen the couch is raised, and a strip, Z2, on the opposite ICO side ofthe leg. Near the inner end'ot' the guide is a side-plate, Z3, and thestrip Z2 is bifurcated from the said side-plate to its opposite endvatthe front of the bed. The upper side of the strip Z2 affords a doubletrack for a sliding weight which I prefer to provide in the form of adouble or divided roller, 7c, having a central axle, 7c. A staple, i,straddling the axle .79 of the roller and passing down between thetracks Z2 is driven into the inner end portion of the leg m. V

Through the front of the bed in line with the guide Z is an opening, h,through which the leg slides. The comparatively slight inwardinclination of the guideZwhen the couch is raised is not sufcient tocause the leg to slide by Vgravity down the incline, owing to thefriction of theleg against the guide. The roller 7c, however, when thebed is raised will run down the inclined track Z2, which, as shown, isparallel with the guide, and the roller is sufciently heavy to drag withit the leg to retract the latter. When the couch B is swungdownward andthe guide has passed the horizontal plane the weight of the roller andleg will cause the forinerto run down the track to the front of the bedand the leg to slide outward and become extended. Near the front of thecouch the strip Z is bifurcated to receive swinging dog, g, which ispivoted, between the forks of the strip Z, at g. N ear the innerend ofthe leg m in the side of the latteradjacenttoihe stripZisanotch,m. Whenin the lowering of the bed the leg, has slid outward to its fullestextent the notch m is opposite the engaging end of the dog g, and thelatter is so mounted on its pivot as to swing at its engaging end intothe notch m when thefcouch nears the horizontal'plane.

The engagement of the dog g with the notch m operates as a stop toprevent the legs being forced in or retract by the weight imposed uponit. As the couch is raised the dog g swings out of engagement with theleg and rests against a stop, g2, which extends across its path in theposition shown. In the construction described the leg when extended issomewhat inclined, as shown in Fig. 5. The spring n of thecounterbalance mechanism being secured to the back portion of themainframe above the lever, and drawn upon inl a downward direction,tends to resist forward tipping of the main frame when the couch isbeing lowered or raised.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is* l. In afolding-bed, the combination with the stationary frame and verticallyswinging couch, pivoted to the stationary frame, of counterbalancemechanism for the couch, comprising a lever fulcrumed between its endson the stationary frame7 a link pivotally Qonnected at one end with oneend 0f the le- Y ver and at its opposite end with the couch near itshead-portion, a spring, n, connected with the lever and with thestationary frame above the lever, to draw in the downward direction uponthe stationary frame and operating through the medium of the lever andlink to resist lowering and assist raising of the couch, substantiallyas described.

2. In a folding-bed, the combination with the stationary frame andvertically swinging couch, pivoted to the stationary frame, ofcounterbalance mechanism for the couch, comprising a spring, n,connected with the main frame, a lever, s, fulcrumed near oneend-portion to the stationary frame below the spring, and adjustablyconnected near one end with the spring, a link, p, pivoted at one end tothe short arm of the lever s, and provided at. its opposite end with asocket p at which it is pivotally and removably attached to the couchnear the head-portion, thereof the spring operating to draw vin theYdown-Y ward direction Yupon the stationary frame and through the mediumof the lever and link to resist lowering and assist raising of thecouch, substantially as described.

HARVEY VADDELL.

In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTH, M. J. FROST.

